March 2, 2012

HEY THERE ALL,

SO THIS RIDICULOUSLY FLATTERING THING HAPPENED WHERE HULK WAS ASKED TO BE A PART OF A PANEL AT SXSW. …OR “SOUTH BY …” OR WHATEVER HULK IS SUPPOSED TO CALL IT (HULK HAS OBVIOUSLY NEVER BEEN). BUT CHECK THE SHIT OUT OF THIS LINE-UP:

JAMES PONIEWOZIK OF TIME!? EMILY FREAKIN NUSSBAUM OF THE NEW YORKER?!?! THEY’RE TWO OF THE MOST ABSURDLY TALENTED AND ACCOMPLISHED WRITERS OUT THERE. AND ALEX ISKOLD, CEO OF A REVOLUTIONIZING COMPANY THAT IS ACTUALLY MANAGING TO QUANTIFY INTERNET VALUE? AND IT’S MODERATED BY ONE OF HULK’S ABSOLUTE FAVORITES, THE GREAT LINDA HOLMES OF NPR?!?!?! SERIOUSLY, THESE ARE SOME OF HULK’S FAVORITE PEOPLE ON THE PLANET. THE VERY IDEA THAT HULK GONNA BE A SMALL PART OF THIS PANEL IS DEEPLY HUMBLING.

BUT THE ROOM ALSO APPARENTLY SEATS OVER 300 PEOPLE, SO THAT MEANS HULK NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT! PLEASE STOP ON BY.

THE PANEL IS SUNDAY MARCH 11 AT 11 AM (REMEMBER AS THE 11TH AT AT 11!) IN ROOM 16AB!

HULK GONNA TALK ALL ABOUT THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF MEDIA, CRITICISM, AND OUR POSSIBLE FUTURE IN THE GREAT UNKNOWN.

BUT THERE’S A REALLY NEAT PART ABOUT ALL OF THIS THAT WAS POINTED OUT BY FREQUENT BADASS COMMENTER DANNY MEARS (VIA TWITTER): @dannymears I love it. NPR. Time Magazine. The New Yorker. BADASS DIGEST. That’s amazing.

HULK AGREE. THAT IS AMAZING. BADASS DIGEST IS REMARKABLE COMMUNITY AND HULK JUST SO THANKFUL TO BE A TINY PART OF IT. IT’S NOT JUST THE ASSOCIATION WITH THE ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE, A COMPANY THAT REPRESENTS SO MANY WONDERFUL THINGS ABOUT CINEMA. REALLY IT’S ABOUT YOUR SUPPORT AND INPUT. YOU ARE JUST AS MUCH RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF IT AS ANY OF US.

SO IF YOU’RE IN AUSTIN FOR SXSW, ER, SOUTHBYWHATEVER, THEN PLEASE STOP BY! WE’LL HANG OUT AFTER AND GET BOOZE AND TALK AND GET TACOS AND STUFF!

November 3, 2011

THIS IS GREAT NEWS BECAUSE 1) IT IS HULK’S FAVORITE WEBSITE 2) YOU WOULD DEFINITELY LIKE IT TOO AND 3) IT DOESN’T MEAN THINGS ARE GONNA STOP OVER HERE IN THE SLIGHTEST.

HULK GOING TO LINK THE BLOG TO EVERY ARTICLE OVER THERE, AS WELL AS STILL PRODUCE TONS OF CONTENT FOR THIS BLOG. WHY HULK EVEN HAS A MAILBAG AROUND THE CORNER SO FEEL FREE TO EMAIL HULK AT:

FILMCRITHULK@GMAIL.COM

HULK HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY OF YOUR QUESTIONS.

IN THE MEANTIME CHECK OUT BADASS DIGEST, WHICH IS ACTUALLY THE CULTURAL CENTER OF TIM LEAGUE’S LEGENDARY ALAMO DRAFT HOUSE CINEMAS IN TEXAS. THE SITE FULL OF GREAT WRITERS LIKE DEVIN FARACI, MEREDITH BORDERS, APRIL SWARTZ, BRIAN W. COLLINS, SAM STRANGE, AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE DRAFT HOUSE CREW, COMPLETE WITH EXCELLENT BEER AND SPIRITS COVERAGE (FUCK YES).

DAMN IT FEELS GOOD TO BE A BADASS.

(NOTE: THE PICTURE AT THE TOP SHOWED UP WHEN HULK GOOGLED “BADASS HULK”)

May 17, 2011

SOMETIMES PEOPLE ASK, “HULK, WHICH FILM CRITICS YOU LIKE?”

NATURALLY, THERE MANY. LIKE JUST ABOUT EVERYONE WHO LIKE MOVIE FIND IT IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO IDOLIZE PAULINE KAEL. IN FACT, LITTLE HULK REMEMBER WHEN FIRST SAYING SOMETHING ABOUT WANTING BE INVOLVED IN MOVIES FOR REAL, MAMA HULK DUG OUT HER OLD COPIES OF NEW YORKER FROM ATTIC, SAT LITTLE HULK DOWN AND SAY “THEN READ THESE.” LIKEWISE, IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR LITTLE HULK TO IGNORE THE OMNIPRESENT SISKEL & EBERT, WHO BASICALLY DIAGRAM THE CONVERSATION OF FILM FOR MANY YOUNG CINEPHILES. ALSO, NOW-RETIRED BOSTON GLOBE CRITIC UNDOUBTEDLY SHAPE HULK’S EARLY SENSIBILITY (THIS PRE-INTERWEBS FOLKS. LOCAL NEWSPAPER CRITICS WERE DOMINANT VOICES). THEN THERE THE FILM SCHOOL YEARS WHERE HULK FINALLY GET THE GOOD STUFF: RAY CARNEY, THE OLD CAHIERS DU CINEMA STUFF, TARKOVSKY’S SCULPTING IN TIME, STOK’S KIESLOWSKI ON KIESLOWSKI, A WHOLE BUNCH AMAZING PROFESSORS, AND LOADS OTHERS ANALYSIS THAT GO FAR AND BEYOND WHAT HULK IMAGINE POSSIBLE.

TODAY, HULK WOULD TO POINT TO THE MUCH SOUGHT-AFTER ACCLAIMED MAINSTREAM VOICE, BUT THERE REALLY NOT SINGLE ONE. MAYBE EBERT, WHO UNDERWENT REMARKABLE LIFE + WRITING CHANGE POST-SURGERY. HE DOING SOME REALLY WONDERFUL THINGS, BUT THERE EQUALLY SOME WAYS HE OUT OF TOUCH WITH LOT OF GENRE STUFF SO IT MAKE HARD FOR HULK. AND ANTHONY LANE SEEMS GIVEN UP ON MOVIES IN FAVOR OF BEING BAD COMEDIAN (REALLY, HE READ LIKE PARODY OF THE NEW YORKER NOW). AS SUCH, THE CRITICAL SHIFT SEEM TURN TO THOSE WHO “BUILT” THE INTERNET (LIKE PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING ELSE). BUT IT STILL DIFFICULT SIFT THROUGH AND FIND VOICES THAT MATTER. SO IT LOGICAL THAT HULK WANT SHARE THE 3 STRONGEST CRITICS THAT HULK BEEN READING FOR YEARS.

ENJOY

(OH AND THIS NUMBERED AND EVERYTHING, BUT THEY IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)

YET, THERE PERHAPS NO ONE MORE REFRESHING IN TERMS OF GENUINE, DIGNIFIED OPTIMISM THAN DREW MCWEENEY. SOME MAY RECALL HOW HE SPENT FIRST INTERNET LIFE AS “MORIARTY” OVER AT AINT IT COOL NEWS. AND IN DOING SO, HE HELP SHAPE THE INTERNET’S MOVIE CRITICISM LANDSCAPE AS WE KNOW IT. WHERE AICN’S POSTERBOY/FOUNDER HARRY KNOWLES DISPLAYS FREQUENT HYPERBOLE-LADEN ENTHUSIASM THAT BORDER ON COMICAL (THOUGH TO BE FAIR, PRETTY EARNEST), DREW MCWEENEY ALWAYS = THE MORE CAREFUL, DISCURSIVE, AND HIGHER-MINDED COUNTERPART. THE BYPRODUCT WAS WONDERFUL INFLUENCE ON THE READERSHIP; A SEEMING “HOW TO” GUIDE FOR THE FANBOY AUDIENCE TO GROW UP AND HAVE MORE ADULT VOICE. AND IT EVEN MORE FUN SEEING TRANSITION INTO FULL-FLEDGED WRITER.

NOW OVER AT HITFIX, DREW CARVE OUT ON OWN PLACE FOR HIS OPEN-MINDED, YET STUNNINGLY WIDE-RANGING COVERAGE. YES, HULK KEEP USING THIS “OPEN-MINDED” LANGUAGE IN DESCRIBING DREW, BUT IT JUST SO IMPORTANT. THE INTERNET CRITICS BIGGEST PROBLEM THAT THEY EITHER JUST WANT GUSH OVER SOMETHING THAT CONFIRM THEIR PRE-SET STANCE OR JUST WANTING TO SHIT ON PROPERTY THEY INCLINED NOT TO LIKE. AAAAAND SOME JUST RANT ON TOPICS THAT UPSET THEM IN BRUTAL FASHION.

BUT DREW SEEMINGLY NOT GO INTO ANY FILM SAYING “WHY SHOULD I DISMISS THIS?” BUT INSTEAD “WHAT CAN I TAKE AWAY FROM THIS?” HULK ARGUE IT HUGE DISTINCTION. IN AGE WHERE PEOPLE GO TO MOVIES LOOKING FOR RECONFIRMATION OF OWN VALUES/INTERESTS/DRUTHERS, DREW INSTEAD LOOK FOR THE VALUE IN EVERYTHING. AGAIN: OPEN-MINDED. THOUGHTFUL. CONSIDERATE. PATIENT.

AND FROM SOME BRIEF DEALINGS, HULK CAN ASSURE YOU THAT DREW THAT MOST IMPORTANT THING OF ALL… KIND.

HIGHLIGHTS: AT HITFIX DREW RUN GREAT PODCAST CALLED MOTION CAPTURED, WHERE HE OFTEN PLAY HIS GREAT “MOVIE GOD” GAME; WHICH FEATURE HIS ASKING GUEST WHICH OF TWO MOVIES THE GUEST WOULD EFFECTIVELY “KILL,” MEANING WIPE OUT FROM EXISTENCE (AND AS RESULT ALL OF THE MOVIE’S INFLUENCE TOO). HE SO GOOD ABOUT PICKING TWO FILMS THAT MAKE IT A SOPHIE’S CHOICE. FOR SUCH NICE GUY IT WONDERFULLY CRUEL GAME (AND TO BE FAIR, IT REALLY JUST BRILLIANT OF ASKING “WHAT KIND OF FILM DO YOU TRULY VALUE?”)

ALSO, ONE OF THINGS HULK LOVE = THE DEEPLY PERSONAL WITH WHICH HE VISIT FILM (THOUGH NEVER IN OVERBEARING WAY). WITH FILM NERD 2.0 DREW REVISIT CINEMA FAVORITES THROUGH THE EYES OF HIS TWO YOUNG SONS. IT REALLY WONDERFUL READ ESPECIALLY FOR FOLKS WITH KIDS TRYING TO NAVIGATE DIFFICULTIES OF WHAT CONTENT TO EXPOSE (AND WHEN). IT ESPECIALLY WONDERFUL TO SEE IN AGE WHERE EVERY ADULT-MINDED CRITIC SEEM BE DEMANDING CONTENT TO BE DARKER/MORE ADULT.

(1) OKAY THE “IT SUCKS” BEEN AROUND FOREVER, BUT NOW THE CRETINS SEEMINGLY EVERYWHERE AND CAN’T EVEN TYPE.

BEING CRITIC ABOUT HAVING A VOICE… AND IN THIS WORLD, DEVIN FARACI HAVE A TRULY DISTINCT, EXPANSIVE VOICE. NO, THAT NOT MEAN HE SOME LOUD-MOUTHED CRETIN WHO JUST OUT-SHOUTING EVERYONE. NOT IN THE SLIGHTEST. IT MEAN HE WONDERFULLY ENGAGING, THOUGHTFUL, UNCOMPROMISING, AND OFTEN HILARIOUS.

SINCE THIS THE INTERNET AND SOME FOLKS GET LITTLE TOUCHY/DEFENSIVE ABOUT THEY STUFF, DEVIN INFAMOUSLY CHARACTERIZED AS THE SORT OF REACTIONARY LOUD-MOUTH HULK JUST ALLUDE TO. HE PRESUMED TO CARRY ALL THESE NONSENSICAL VENDETTAS WITH CERTAIN FILMMAKERS (COUGH* JAMES CAMERON * COUGH). BUT NOTHING FURTHER FROM TRUTH. HE SIMPLY DOES NOT RALLY BEHIND GEEK PROPERTIES JUST FOR THE SAKE OF IT. WHEN CHALLENGED, HE CHALLENGE RIGHT BACK. HE NEVER AFRAID TO ANTAGONIZE, BUT HE NOT ANTAGONISTIC (MEANING IT NOT HIS INTENTION. A CRITICAL DIFFERENCE). HE SIMPLY HAVE OPINIONS AND EXPRESS THEM WITH ABJECT CLARITY. SADLY, CLARITY ONE OF THOSE SEVERELY UNDER-REPRESENTED QUALITIES IN WRITING TODAY.

DEVIN SPENT MANY WONDERFUL YEARS AT CHUD, AND NOW HE THE VOICE OF BADASS DIGEST, WHICH THE ASSOCIATED SITE OF THE CINE-MECCA-LIKE ALAMO DRAFT HOUSE IN TEXAS. BADASS DIGEST SITE ESPECIALLY FUN BECAUSE THERE SO MUCH ODDBALL, SUPER-POSITIVE CONTENT.

HIGHLIGHTS: DEVIN’S BEST QUALITY OFTEN THE ABILITY TO BE LAUGH OUT LOUD FUNNY. HE CAN DIVE INTO INCREDIBLY COMPLICATED + CEREBRAL SUBJECT MATTER THEN UNDERCUT THE SERIOUSNESS WITH A WELL-TIMED JOKE. THIS BRIEF NEWS ARTICLE FROM BACK IN THE DAY HULK’S FAVORITE EXAMPLE: http://www.chud.com/7723/lars-von-tries-horror/

ANOTHER THING HULK LIKE THAT DEVIN HAVE GREAT ABILITY TO CONVEY WHAT MAKE CERTAIN “BASE” MOVIES REALLY ENJOYABLE. HE NEVER INVOKE THE NONSENSICAL LOGIC OF “IT SO BAD IT GOOD!” BUT INSTEAD OPT FOR THAT PERFECT BALANCE CLARITY AND HUMOR. HULK’S FAVORITE EXAMPLE THIS TORQUE “GUILTY PLEASURE” REMEMBRANCE (#27 HALFWAY DOWN).

(NOTE: YOU MAY FIND IT REALLY WEIRD THAT HULK REMEMBERING ALL THESE MOMENTS AND LINES FROM ARTICLES WRITTEN YEARS AND YEARS AGO. HULK JUST HAVE ONE OF THOSE INSANE WRITTEN MEMORY THINGS… IT A BLESSING/CURSE… HULK COULD PROBABLY STILL PASS TESTS FROM HIGH SCHOOL AP CLASSES BUT SUBSEQUENTLY CANT EVER REMEMBER TO TAKE LAUNDRY OUT OF MACHINE. ANYCRAP… )

A GOOD CRITIC EXPANDS YOUR TASTE AND RATIONALE… OFTEN FURTHER THAN YOU THOUGHT POSSIBLE. DEVIN CAN REALLY DO THIS. HE HAVE GREAT SERIES BACK AT CHUD CALLED “CHUDSPLOITATION” WHICH EXAMINE THE MOST INSANE EXPLOITATION FILMS ALL TIME (WARNING: NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH) AND VERY CALMY EXPLAIN AND DELVE LEGITIMATELY INTO “WHAT COMPELLED THE FILMMAKER TO MAKE THIS?” AND EVEN WITH MOST DESPICABLE STUFF, DON’T TELL HULK IT NOT WORTH ASKING THAT QUESTION. BECAUSE ULTIMATELY THE FILM WAS MADE AND PEOPLE SAW IT. SO NOT HAVING SOMEONE DELVE INTO IT AND ADDRESS WHAT “IT” WAS ABOUT HULK THINK A MUCH LARGER SIN OF OMISSION.

AND LASTLY, PLEASE ENJOY THIS GREAT EXCERPT FROM RECENT FAST FIVE REVIEW:

He’s certainly more than a match for Diesel, who continues to turn into some kind of Gnome King or something. His head seems to be shrinking while his nose blossoms out and the thin layer of flesh holding in the hamburger helper with which he is stuffed seems tired and about to give up the ghost. All of Diesel’s lines sound like they’re coming through some kind of bass-heavy fuzzbox and the choices he makes in delivering them are baffling. I don’t know what kind of a movie he thinks he’s making. Still, as awful as he is on paper he’s arresting on screen, a sentient pork chop that occasionally drives cars. This is the ultimate niche for him, and hopefully he understands it. He is Dom, and Dom is he.

IT DELIGHT HULK TO READ MR. BEAKS ON AICN. THE SITE CERTAINLY RUN THE GAMUT IN TERMS OF READERSHIP (AND IT A FREAKING HUGE READERSHIP) BUT THERE JUST A WAY IN WHICH MR. BEAKS SO DISTINCTLY AGAINST THE GRAIN OF WHAT ONE IMAGINE TO BE THE TYPICAL AICN READER.

FOR ONE, YOU WILL NEVER HEAR BEAKS DESCRIBE A FILM AS A “BARREL FULL OF BLOWJOBS” (AT LEAST HULK THINK?) BUT INSTEAD YOU FIND PERHAPS ONE THE MOST CEREBRAL, WORLD-CINEMA-LOVING, LOQUACIOUS CRITICS ON INTERNET. FOR EVERY ASININE DISCUSSION OF TRANSFORMERS ON THAT SITE, YOU WILL ALSO FIND JEREMY POSTING YET ANOTHER LOVELY, THOUGHTFUL ARTICLE ABOUT [INSERT FOREIGN FILM YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE HEARD OF].

INDEED, MR. BEAKS TRULY ONE OF THOSE FILM SCHOLARS WITH AN INCREDIBLE BREADTH OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE MEDIUM. HE CONDUCTED COUNTLESS EXCELLENT INTERVIEWS IN WHICH HE CLEARLY IMPRESS INTERVIEWEE WITH SAID DEEP KNOWLEDGE. IN SIMPLE TERMS OF PURE CONTENT, BEAKS APPEAR TO BE SOME KIND STALWART DEFENDER OF THE HIGHER-MINDED POSSIBILITIES OF CINEMA AGAINST THE POPULIST INCLINATIONS OF THE MASSES. BEST YET, HIS INTEREST IN THOSE TOPICS NEVER FORCED, BUT FEEL PERFECTLY NATURAL.

AND THEN THERE HIS ACTUAL USE OF LANGUAGE. HULK CONSIDER MR. BEAKS ONE THOSE REAL CRITIC-POETS ONE SEE FROM TIME TO TIME. HE CONSTANTLY STRIVE FOR THE PERFECT SHORT-BURSTED DENSE BITS OF ELOQUENCE. AS NATURAL RESULT, AT TIMES HIS WRITING CAN COME OFF WEE-BIT PEDANTIC OR ESOTERIC… AND HONESTLY AT THE RARE + VERY WORST HULK HAVE NO FREAKING IDEA WHAT JEREMY TRYING SAY (AND NOT BE DICK OR ANYTHING, BUT AT THIS POINT IN HULK’S LIFE, IF HULK NO CAN UNDERSTAND INTENDED MEANING OF AUTHOR, THEN THAT NOT KNOCK ON HULK BUT KNOCK ON AUTHOR). BUT THOSE ABSURDLY SMALL PRICES TO PAY FOR THE FREQUENT GEMS. THERE JUST SOMETHING SO ADMIRABLE ABOUT SWINGING FOR THE FENCES WITH EVERY STATEMENT AND THOUGHT. AGAIN, IF BEAKS THE POET-CRITIC, THEN PERHAPS IT MAKE SENSE NO GET UBER-LITERAL ANYWAY. TO POSSIBLY CHARACTERIZE A CINEMATIC IDEAL IN THOSE ETHEREAL, UN-CONCRETE TERMS. IT ALLOW FOR THOSE IMPECCABLE TIMES WHEN JEREMY ABLE TO CLARIFY AN IDEA WITH LYRICAL, CRYSTALLINE WIT THAT JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE OUTRAGEOUSLY CAPITAL-T TRUE.

TO THE EXAMPLES!

ON TREME (VIA TWITTER): “First Episode of Treme feature everything I love and hate about the show. Great environment. Ham fisted drama. This is the show.”

ON “I AM LOVE”: “Shot and designed like a Sirk-ian melodrama, Wong effortlessly captures the longing and regret of a love affair briefly indulged and forever mourned.” AND, “This is a return to the type of pure cinema that’s anathema in this age of pure calculation; it’s about getting drunk on the potential of the medium, not betraying it for awards or box office. This is where Swinton lives.”

ON “IRREVERSIBLE”: “And if you think Noe is trying to impart some saintly Stanley Kramer bullshit about the futility of revenge, forget it: in IRREVERSIBLE, the whole shebang is predetermined because “time destroys everything”.”

OR CONSIDER THE CONCISE ENTIRETY OF HIS SUCKER PUNCH REVIEW. MANY REVIEWS SLOGGED THROUGH THE LOGICAL STEPS TO DISMISS THE COUNTLESS MISCALCULATIONS OF FILM, BUT ONLY BEAKS SEEMED TO DELICIOUSLY CUT THROUGH THE BULLSHIT (WITHOUT OUTRIGHT DISMISSING IT).

IF IT SEEM LIKE HULK SIMPLY PREDISPOSED TO LIKE BEAKS OR SOMETHING AND FOLLOW BLINDLY, YOU MISTAKEN. QUITE FRANKLY, HULK NEVER READ A CRITIC HULK DISAGREE WITH SO FREQUENTLY. BUT AGREEMENT UNGODLY-OVERRATED IN THIS BUSINESS. THOSE MYSTIFYING-TO-HULK OPINIONS (THERE VERY INTERESTING RIDLEY SCOTT CONVERSATION BE HAD ONE DAY) NOT = LACKING WORTH. HULK HAVE NO IDEA WHY THAT BELIEVE SO COMMON IN CRITICAL ADORATION.

THAT THE REAL POINT, RIGHT? TO ENGAGE AND BE CHALLENGED? TO EXPERIENCE SOMEONE’S WONDERFULLY INTERESTING POINT OF VIEW? AND ULTIMATELY BEAKS WONDERFULLY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE PROVIDE JUST AS MANY CASES WHERE IT BENEFIT BOTH, LIKE ACKNOWLEDGING THE THE SECRET GENIUS OF PEYTON REED’S “BRING IT ON.” (HULK LOVE THAT FILM FOR ALL REASONS EXPRESSED).

AND PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANT, JEREMY SEEMS BE ONE OF FEW REMAINING FILM FANATIC/NBA DIE HARDS IN THE WORLD… MAYBE HULK JUST THINK WE NEED MORE THOSE.

HULK THINK “COMMUNITY” MUCH MORE THAN GREAT SHOW YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING, IT A CONCEPT THAT NEED MORE CREDENCE IN GENERAL. THE MORE ANY PLACE ACT LIKE A REAL COMMUNITY, THE BETTER FOR ALL… ESPECIALLY IN REGARDS TO THE INTERNET. READERS FORGET, WRITERS FORGET, AND EVEN HULK FORGET, BUT THE ONLINE FILM WORLD AT ITS CORE = A TRULY WONDERFUL PLACE.